Future Concepts: Camaro Convertible Is Go!

Drop-top version of GM ponycar given green light.

GM brass reportedly has approved a convertible version of the forthcoming Camaro coupe. Like the Ford Mustang convertible, the open-top Camaro will probably make its debut some months after the coupe goes on sale in 2006. And, like the Mustang, it'll feature a power-operated folding cloth roof to save weight and cost.

Weight is fast becoming a key issue for engineers working on the new Camaro, which will roll on a modified version of the Australian-developed Zeta platform. The Zeta-platform Holden Commodore sedan, which will go on sale in Australia shortly, will tip the scales at about 4000 pounds, according to insiders, mainly because of tough local crash-test regulations.Excess weight will not only blunt the Camaro's performance potential, but impact fuel-economy numbers. GM's internal weight target for the Camaro V-8 coupe is rumored to be 3500 to 3600 pounds, in line with the Mustang GT. With the extra bracing needed to compensate for the lack of a steel roof and the additional mechanical hardware required for the softtop, a convertible Camaro would weigh 150 to 200 pounds more than that.

Achieving those targets will be a difficult task given the mass of the baseline Zeta platform and the complexity of an independent rear suspension, which the Mustang doesn't have. That's why the mainstream V-8 Camaros likely will be powered by a version of the 403-horse, 6.2-liter aluminum-block engine fitted to the Cadillac Escalade. This engine features gas-saving displacement on demand and will deliver the power and torque to ensure the Camaro delivers competitive performance against the Mustang GT.With Ford having launched the Shelby GT500 with 500 horses, however, and DaimlerChrysler almost certain to build a 425-horse SRT8 version of the forthcoming Challenger coupe, a top of the range Camaro powered by the 505-horse LS7 from the Corvette Z06 now seems a no-brainer. The GT500 weighs 3990 pounds, but here Chevy might have an advantage: Unlike the supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 in the Shelby, the LS7 has a lightweight aluminum block.